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shown here

his poor poocbie is shot

a rigorous week of training

walking erect on its hind legs while smoking a pipe

a black-and-white, inside-front-cover strip-ad

an iconic back-cover ad

Oddities in Crime

MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY was a popular radio show that was broadcast on NBC and ABC (4/3/1939 - 6/13/52, and in transcribed syndication through 1953). The crime drama -- which was created, written and directed by Ed Byron, a former law student -- featured a crusading D.A., invariably referred to only as “Mister District Attorney” or merely “Chief”. During its run on radio, the anonymous D.A. was portrayed by actors Dwight Weist, Raymond Edward Johnson, Jay Jostyn and David Brian. Phillips H. Lord, creator of GANGBUSTERS (another radio series adapted by DC Comics) had a hand in developing the series’ concept; in fact, it was Lord who came up with this show’s title. The scripts for MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY were extremely timely, well-researched and accurate. During WWII, the show’s D.A. turned his attention to the Nazi threat; reportedly, some of these scripts were considered too accurate, at least for the F.B.I. Eventually, MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY also became a short-lived television series airing on ABC (10/1/1951 - 6/23/1952) and later, briefly syndicated, featuring essentially the same cast as the concurrently-produced radio show. However, for this new incarnation in the new medium, the series’ D.A. -- played by Jay Jostyn -- was finally given a name: “Paul Garrett”.

The first issue of DC’s MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY was cover-dated January - February, 1948, at which time the cover-blurb “Radio’s No. 1 Hit!” was probably true. The series’ last issue was cover-dated February, 1958 and featured “Operation Dragnet!” as its lead story (doubtlessly a feeble attempt to ride a final ride on the coattails of producer/director/writer/actor Jack Webb’s popular radio and television series, DRAGNET [12/16/1951 - 9/6/1959].) But, considering that this comic featured a licensed property, it’s fairly impressive that it enjoyed a decade-long run.

Ever wonder who came first, “Shep The Wonder Dog” or DC’s REX THE WONDER DOG? Well, considering that the first issue of REX was cover-dated January - February, 1952, DC’s own “wonder dog” definitely came before the cover-canine of this funnybook. However, “Shep The Wonder Dog”  (actually a trained German Shepherd named “Flame”) starred in an earlier series of films, including MY DOG SHEP (1946) and SHEP COMES HOME (1949).

Cartoonist Howard Purcell (1918 - 1981) studied at New York City’s Art Students League; his artistic influences included Alex Raymond, Harvey Dunn, Dean Cornwall and Hal Foster. After working as an animator throughout the 1930s in New York City’s cartoon studios, Purcell’s earliest-known comic book story-credit is for “Mark Lansing”, a feature in the August, 1940 issue of ADVENTURE COMICS (No. 53). He briefly worked for Archie/MLJ (“Bentley Of Scotland Yard”, 1941), Fawcett (“Captain Venture”, 1942) and Timely/Marvel (“Young Avenger” in USA COMICS No. 1 (August, 1941, signed “Michael Robard”), “Nick Fury, Agent Of S.H.I.E.L.D.” in STRANGE TALES (Nos. 143 and 144, April and May, 1966, over the layouts of Jack Kirby), “The Black Knight” in MARVEL SUPER-HEROES (No. 17, September, 1968) and “Tales Of The Watcher” in SILVER SURFER (No. 4, February, 1969); the last story was a re-telling of “The Terror Of Tim Boo Ba!”, a classic Oddball story originally appearing in AMAZING ADULT FANTASY No. 9, February, 1962), but the vast majority of Purcell’s gigs were for National/All-American/DC. There, he drew the famous cover of GREEN LANTERN No. 1 (Fall, 1941), as well as such features as "Lando, Man of Magic" (WORLD’S BEST COMICS No. 1 (Spring, 1941) and "Red, White and Blue" in ALL-AMERICAN COMICS No. 25 (April. 1941). Purcell was responsible for co-creating three somewhat obscure characters for the publisher. Working with writer John Wentworth, Purcell co-created “Sargon The Sorcerer” in ALL-AMERICAN COMICS No. 26 (May, 1941), and with writer Gardner Fox, he co-created “The Gay Ghost” in SENSATION COMICS No. 1 (January, 1942). Decades later, working with writer Bob Haney, Purcell also co-created “The Enchantress” in STRANGE ADVENTURES No. 187 (April, 1966). Howard Purcell also drew many later issues of DC’s SEA DEVILS, as well as stories for ALL-AMERICAN MEN OF WAR, BRAVE AND THE BOLD (teaming Aquaman with Hawkman, No. 51, December - January 1963 - 1964), “Dr. Thirteen, The Ghost Breaker”, FALLING IN LOVE, GANGBUSTERS, GIRLS’ LOVE STORIES, the “Golden Age” GREEN LANTERN, HEART THROBS, “Hop Harrigan” in ALL STAR COMICS, HOUSE OF MYSTERY, HOUSE OF SECRETS, “Johnny Peril” and “Space Ranger” in TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED, MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY, MY GREATEST ADVENTURE, MYSTERY IN SPACE, OUR ARMY AT WAR, STRANGE ADVENTURES and YOUNG ROMANCE. After leaving comics -- his last credits were in DC’s WEIRD MYSTERY TALES (August - December, 1972) -- Howard Purcell became a teacher at Wilkes-Barre High School and at Luzerne County Community College, both in Pennsylvania.

Cartoonist Dupree “Ray” Burnley (1902 - 1964) worked primarily as an inker of comic books, starting his career in the early 1940s by inking the backgrounds of DC Comics’ “Starman” stories drawn by his younger brother Jack.  In 1947, Jack Burnley left the comics industry, spurring Ray to try his hand at inking other artists, including Bob Kane, Dick Sprang, Curt Swan and Sheldon Moldoff. He also penciled a handful of “Batman And Robin” stories. Ray wound up working on many different DC characters and titles, including: “Batman And Robin” in BATMAN and DETECTIVE COMICS; DALE EVANS; GANGBUSTERS; HOPALONG CASSIDY; HOUSE OF MYSTERY; SUPERMAN’S PAL -- JIMMY OLSEN; “The Justice Society Of America” in ALL-STAR COMICS; MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY; “The Newsboy Legion” in STAR SPANGLED COMICS; OUR ARMY AT WAR; REAL FACT COMICS, STAR SPANGLED WAR STORIES, “Starman”; STRANGE ADVENTURES; “Superman” in ACTION COMICS and SUPERMAN; TOMAHAWK; and WORLD’S FINEST COMICS. Ray Burnley eventually retired from comics in 1959.

This issue’s 8-page “Mr. District Attorney” cover-story is “The Canine Eye-Witness “, which was penciled by Howard Purcell, inked by Ray Burnley and edited by Whitney Ellsworth. It begins with a scene right off of the screen of a black-and-white television (shown here in glorious black, blue and purple:

MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY:
“MY DOG SHEP” was the title of last year’s top afternoon television show -- and that very program was to play a vital part in this case…

TOMMY TRAVIS:
Shep -- Shep…I’ve got SNOW BLINDNESS! I can’t see the numbers of the safe combination…and in minutes, Black Bart’s gang will be here to rob it!

So, while Shep reads the combination written on a piece of paper and taps out the corresponding numbers, young Tommy twirls the combination lock on the safe’s door:

TOMMY TRAVIS:
Right 2…left 4…right 1…Attaboy,  Shep! Once I get the safe open, we’ll hide old Mr. Blake’s gold dust safely from the thieves!

TV ANNOUNCER:
And so, once again, Shep saves the situation in the nick of time! Don’t miss tomorrow’s episode when Tommy and Shep meet up with Black Bart!

This story’s narrator, Mr. District Attorney, informs the reader that a pair of “hardened criminals” are also watching the same episode of MY DOG SHEP:

DICE:
Can you beat that?...A dog reading safe combinations just like a human! Some stuff, huh, Pete?

PETER BURKE:
Yeah, Dice. The mutt’s a dog genius! Here come the boys -- let’s get down to business!

A few minutes later, Pete, Dice and their gang discuss plans for an upcoming bank heist:

PETER BURKE:
We should pull this one off without a hitch! Eight minutes after the job, we’ll leave the hot getaway car and pick up my sedan at the city dump…

DICE:
Right…so by the time the police locate the stolen car, we’ll be cruisin’ away in YOUR sedan, Pete!

At this point, the omnipresent Mr. District Attorney plays connect-the-dots for the readers’ benefit:

MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY:
Perhaps you find it difficult to connect a brazen bank robbery with a popular children’s TV program! I can hardly blame you…but strangely enough, in the days that followed, the two became inseparably linked!

The next morning, the gangsters’ robbery proceeds exactly as planned, except for one important difference: their getaway is witnessed by the stars of MY DOG SHEP, Tommy Travis and his dog Shep! Despite Tommy’s command to the opposite, the valiant German Shepherd breaks away from his young master and runs after the robbers, following them even after they’ve switched cars. This fact doesn’t escape the bandits’ notice, who immediately recognize the “TV wonder dog”:

DICE:
Don’t you get it, Peter?...That dog can READ NUMBERS! Maybe he’s read your license play and can give it to the cops!

PETER BURKE:
Suffering Caesar…That’s right! The hound was reading off a safe combination on TV…He could tap out my LICENSE number to the kid that owns him! We can’t take any chances…This heap is registered in my right name! Call the TV station, Dice…find out where that hound is kenneled, and we’ll get rid of him fast!

Meanwhile, Mr. District Attorney and his red-haired assistant Harrington are interrogating the only human witness to the recent bank robbery, TV star Tommy Travis. Suddenly, Shep arrives:

TOMMY TRAVIS:
YIPPEE…Look! Here comes Shep now…He’s okay!

HARRINGTON:
Well -- ! Perhaps a brilliant animal like that can lead us WHERE the getaway car went!

TOMMY TRAVIS:
Why sure…Shep will be glad to help you out! C’MON, SHEP BOY…SHOW US WHERE THEY ARE…

MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY:
Harrington and I followed in astonishment as the remarkable dog led us through a maze of streets and alleys until…

After the lawmen find the bank robbers’ ditched sedan (colored red instead of blue as on the preceding page), they call in “the fingerprint boys” to dust the vehicle for clues. Then the D.A. thanks Shep’s young master:

MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY:
Tommy, I want to thank you for your cooperation! Your amazing dog has saved the police hours of searching for this car!

TOMMY TRAVIS:
Heck, Mr. D.A. -- Shep and me are glad to help the law any time we can!

Unfortunately, the abandoned car yields no fingerprints. Even worse, at the Star Kennel Cub, Tommy watches in horror as his poor poocbie is shot (off-panel) by someone in a passing car, causing Shep to fall off of a bridge and into the river below!

SFX:
BLAM

TOMMY TRAVIS:
Oh-h! SHEP! SHEP! WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOU?

PETER BURKE:
Ha, ha…That’s one mutt who won’t be tapping out any more numbers!

Tommy selflessly jumps off of the bridge and into the water to rescue Shep; within minutes, the D.A. and Harrington deliver the wounded German Shepherd to the kennel’s hospital:

TOMMY TRAVIS:
WHY? Why would anyone want to kill Shep, Mr. D.A.? H-how could anyone be so cruel?

MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY:
Steady, Tommy…Some people are filled with an abnormal hatred for animals! Shep may have been a victim of just such a person!

KENNEL VETERINARIAN:
It’s amazing how the dog survived! This bullet just missed his heart!

MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY:
Looks like an .38 slug! Harrington, I want a ballistics check run on this bullet…Also, have a moulage made of the tire tracks of that car! I WANT the man who did this inhuman act!

Later, after reading the ballistics report, the D.A. and his assistant confer:

MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY:
What? That slug came from mobster Peter Burke’s gun?...The same character who served a ten-year sentence and is now floating around the underworld?

HARRINGTON:
Right, Chief…It matches a slug from his gun which we used as evidence when we sent him up!

MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY:
Why in thunder would a big-time hood like Burke risk returning to prison by shooting a dog? It just doesn’t make sense?

HARRINGTON:
It HAS to, Chief…The cast we made of the tire tracks is identical to the treads on his car! He’s committed a crime…let’s pick him up!

MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY:
Great Caesar! It wouldn’t make sense unless -- Harrington, I think I’ve stumbled upon the answer! I’ll brief you and then we’ll return to the kennels! We’re not arresting Burke, YET!

(“Chief”? “Great Caesar”? Sounds like Mr. District Attorney’s real name might be…Perry White!) When the kennel veterinarian informs the D.A. that Shep will be in recovery for at least three or four weeks, Tommy suggests that possibly one of Shep’s TV stand-ins  could help. So, after the studio responsible for MY DOG SHEP grant permission for the D.A. to make a public announcement about Shep’s supposed death, he and Tommy put Shep’s stand-ins through a rigorous week of training to perform a variety of specific stunts. Arriving outside of Peter Burke’s apartment, Mr. District Attorney and Harrington prepare to spring their trap while Tommy paints the stand-in named “Sandy” with luminous paint. Inside, while Pete and Dice bicker over their next move, they’re interrupted by an astounding sight through the apartment window:

DICE:
YIPE! Pete…Look!

SANDY: 
R-R-ROOOWWW

PETER BURKE:
Huh -- ?

DICE:
It -- it was the wonder dog I shot…floating through the air all aglow, like a GHOST!

PETER BURKE:
Naw…naw! It must’ve been something else, Dice! It’s just imagination…We’re getting shaky!

The next day, outside of Burke’s favorite restaurant, he and Dice encounter another of Shep’s trained stand-ins, “Rex”. (Well, there y’go, folks…DC definitely seems to have regarded the German Shepherd named “Rex” as nothing more than a stand-in for Shep!) Little do the bad guys realize that there’s a pane of bullet-proof glass between them and the dog:

SFX:
BANG BLAM!

PETER BURKE:
>Gulp< Bullets don’t hurt him…H-he’s a GHOST DOG!

Later that day, the lawmen send a third trained stand-in dog, “Busher”, to approach Burke -- by walking erect on its hind legs while smoking a pipe! And since Burke is unknowingly surrounded by plainclothesmen in the middle of City Arena watching a prize fight, the crooks think that they’re the only one who notices ol’ Busher:

DICE:
P-Pete…PETE! LOOK!

PETER BURKE:
No…No…

DICE:
Nobody sees him but us! It is a ghost dog, come back to haunt us! I--I’m leaving town!

PETER BURKE:
M-me, too -- Get moving!

Scared into leaving town, Dice and Burke lead the lawmen right to the stolen loot, submerged in the middle of a local pond. Surrounded and in possession of the bank’s cash, the bandits have no choice but to surrender. Later, after the D.A. explains his trap to Burke, one of Shep’s show biz secrets is brought to light by his master:

PETER BURKE:
Y-you mean that dog never DID die? It was all a trick?

MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY:
Exactly, Burke -- decided upon when I reasoned that your only motive for shooting Shep must have been because you feared the dog could READ your license number!

PETER BURKE:
Bah! We never should’ve been caught! It all happened just ‘cause that blasted dog can READ NUMBERS!

TOMMY TRAVIS:
Sorry to disappoint you…But that number reading stunt is just a show-business STUNT! He’s cued from off-stage! Shep is mighty smart, but he can’t read one number…He just memorizes the number…of taps that I TEACH him!

Also included in this issue of MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY are the following stories, features and advertisements:

• “Given! Boys! Girls! Ladies! Men! We Give You Cash Or Premiums!”, featuring “Space Pilots On The Beam!”, a black-and-white, inside-front-cover strip-ad drawn by “R. T.” soliciting for door-to-door salespeople to peddle “Cloverine Brand Salve” for the “Wilson Chemical Co.”

• “Mr. District Attorney” in “The Court-Room Patrol”, penciled by Howard Purcell and inked by Ray Burnley. -- “Your District Attorney Speaks: Undercover agents had forewarned me that a criminal scheme was to be launched in an effort to free a notorious mobster as I prosecuted him n a court of law! And since all my attention was necessary in gaining a conviction against the defendant, the success or failure of the underworld scheme rested with the men on…THE COURT ROOM PATROL”. Directly addressing the reader, Mr. District Attorney continues: “In most cases, the community gives due credit to its various branches of law and order! But there is one group of officers who often escape public acclaim -- the court patrolmen! Few citizens realize that these silent sentinels of justice, though rarely in the limelight, are as much a part of our law courts as the judge and jury…But when trouble strikes, their presence is known...Another of these men’s tasks is to memorize the names and faces of known underworld figures…The reason for this is simple enough…Gangsters often appear in court galleries, hoping to frighten witnesses who might implicate them in some crime…”. To illustrate the importance of such “unsung heroes on the court beat”, the nameless D.A.. recalls the previous January’s case of “Sketch” Barlow, “an underworld kingpin”. As the story segues into an extended flashback, we see Barlow nearly make his escape from the lawmen until one of the bullets fired by Mr. District Attorney’s assistant, Harrington, finds its target in one of the tires of Barlow’s getaway car. A few days after Barlow’s capture, word reaches the D.A.’s office that the kingpin’s gang have been holding secret meetings. Mr. District Attorney surmises that they may be planning to silence their former boss (afraid that Barlow might attempt to trade his underworld knowledge for a lighter sentence); either that or planning “a daring escape gimmick to snatch Barlow” from the grasp of the law. Worried, Mr. District Attorney and Harrington pay a visit to the City Court building to speak with Sgt. Frank Fuller of the Court Police Squad; he assures them that everything during Barlow’s trial will be kept completely under control. As the trial begins, the Court Police Squad stay on their toes. First, they reject a news photographer for the DAILY GLOBE newspaper for attempting to smuggle a camera into the court-room. Next. Sgt. Fuller discovers a single bullet hidden inside a cigar, part of a shipment specially ordered by Barlow; fortunately, the criminal kingpin is stopped before he can load the bullet into pistol used as an item for exhibit. A few days later, Mr. District Attorney receives a warning that Barlow’s gang will attempt to illegally “spring” him in mid-trial. Sure enough, Barlow makes a run toward an unguarded third floor window of the court-room and crashes through it to land in the hay-filled back of a truck marked “Fertile Farms Landscaping Nursary” parked outside. But before the truck can escape from Mr. District Attorney and Harrington, it abruptly stops down the block, right in front of the police station, When they catch up to the truck, they find Sgt. Fuller and one of his police officers holding their guns on Barlow. Sgt. Fuller explains that he became suspicious when he saw that the truck’s lettering had “nursery” misspelled; once he and his men checked it out, they recognized the men inside as being two members of Barlow’s gang; fortunately, Barlow jumped into the truck mere seconds after the lawmen captured his underlings! Back in the present, Mr. District Attorney sums things up: “Barlow’s gang was arrested, and the criminal boss received a life term in prison -- thanks to the alert, quick-thinking Court-Room Patrol!” Across the bottom of the page is a promotional announcement for MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY’s “sister” title: “For More Exciting Adventures Of Police At Work, read GANG BUSTERS COMICS”.

• “Here Are The Prizes In The Giant DC Slogan Contest -- Over 5000 Prizes”, a 3-page announcement and entry form for the funnybook publisher’s “5000 Prize DC Slogan Contest”.

• “Mr. District Attorney” in “Harrington's Country Cousin”, penciled by Howard Purcell and inked by Ray Burnley. -- “Your District Attorney Speaks: One of the criminal’s most important weapons is his ability to strike in the most unlikely places at the most unlikely times. In that way, he hopes to catch the law unaware and off-guard. It’s this type of reasoning that led to one particular gang to time its biggest play to coincide with the big-city visit of HARRINGTON’S COUNTRY COUSIN”. Mr. District Attorney is surprised when his assistant, Harrington, announces that he’s about to be visited by his rural cousin, Elmer; five years earlier, while visiting his Aunt Martha’s farm, Harrington promised his cousin that he’d show him around “the big city”.  The news about Elmer’s visit even made print in the local newspaper, credited to court reporter Jim Wall. Soon, Harrington meets Elmer at the train station, then takes him back to the office to meet his boss, the D.A.  First on their tour of headquarters is the line-up room, then, on another floor, is the fingerprinting room. Next, down in the basement, from which motorcycle cops and patrolmen race to the scenes of reported crimes, leaving only scant seconds after hearing the burglar alarm. Afterwards, back in the D.A.’s office, Elmer overhears as Mr. District Attorney receives confirmation that the Clover Club on Eighth Street is running gambling games in a secret back room. While the D.A.  and Harrington prepare for a raid at 8:00 pm -- the gambling starts at 7:00 pm -- cousin Elmer leaves to catch a movie at a theater down the street. But instead, he takes a cab to “a notorious café” on the outskirts of town, where it’s revealed that he’s not Harrington’s cousin at all! In reality, he’s a disguised crook named Joe who’s performing a “hayseed act” to impersonate the visitor he read about in Jim Wall’s newspaper article. While the real cousin Elmer is held captive, Joe reports in to his boss, urging him to be outside in front of the Clover Club at 8:00 pm sharp.  Later, re-launching into his impersonation, Joe checks in with Harrington, who reminds his phony “cousin” that he’d promised his mother to call her, long distance, as soon as he arrived. Pretending to dial hid mother’s phone number, the lookalike crook instead dials his boss’ number. As 7:30 pm rolls around, Mr. District Attorney and Harrington leave for their raid on the Clover Club, inviting “Elmer” to ride along in one of the rear squad cars after he more-or-less begs them. Sure enough, Joe’s boss shows up at 8:00 pm and sees for himself that “Elmer” is “in solid” with the D.A. The next day, Mr. District Attorney informs Harrington and his “cousin” that there’s been an information leak regarding an $8,000,000 shipment of gems that’s about to arrive on the steamship “Comus”. At the docks, Mr. District Attorney confirms that the gems are on board the ocean liner, waiting for a rare gem importer to pick them up the next day. But since no one in the general public knows exactly which dealer is picking up the shipment of gems, Mr. District Attorney privately shows a map to Harrington, one that’s marked with the locations of each of the gem dealers in town for whom the shipment might be. The D.A. explains, “If we had eight detectives leaving the ship, each one carrying a bag, and each one visiting a different jeweler…And as a precaution, we’ll have you deliver the real gems!”. All the while Mr. District Attorney and Harrington discuss their secret plan, Joe eavesdrops with a “hearing aid gadget”. Then he quickly reports in to his boss, who make plans of their own. The next day, Mr. District Attorney oversees the operation, but thanks to Joe’s information, his criminal boss knows exactly who he should follow -- Harrington, who unknowingly leads them to the Orient Apartment Hotel, where jeweler Harry Parkson is known to live. Late that night, Joe’s boss and one of his goons break into Parkson’s apartment, jimmy open the wall safe and bury the valuable gems near a particular tree. Then they head for their rural hideout (“in a shack off Highway 201”) There, they meet with Joe and the real Elmer, held captive; seconds later, with their guns drawn, Mr. District Attorney and Harrington arrive to trap the would-be gem robbers. Meanwhile, Elmer is ecstatic to finally see his city cousin for the first time in five years. The D.A. explains his ruse: “I suspected you weren’t a farm boy when you called your aunt and dialed long-distance…the number 211! In farm areas, folks just ask the operator for the number they want! After you made that slip, I checked your prints and learned you had a record as long as my right arm! But I had to play along, in the hope you’d lead me to your hideout so I could get the rest of the gang -- to say nothing of Harrington’s real cousin!” Learning this, the gang’s boss is smug that the lawman will never recover the $8,000,000 in gems, until he’s told that the ones he stole were worthless “paste” imitations!

• “Wildroot Cream-Oil Gives You Confidence!”, a 1/3-page ad for “Wildroot Cream Oil” hair product.

• “Oddities in Crime”, a half-page educational feature written and drawn by Morris Waldinger.

• “Betty”, a half-page gag-strip.

• “The Big Dance”, a one-page public service text-page, written by Jack Schiff.

• “The D.A. File”, a one-page text-page featuring such allegedly true stories as “Parrot Was A Witness”, “Female Private Eye” and “Golf’s Hazards”.

• A page consisting of two advertisements: “331 Stamps -- All Different -- Yours For Only 25¢” for collectable postage stamps available via mail-order from the “Zenith Co.”; and “631 Movie & TV Star Pictures -- 25¢” for collectable celebrity photos available through mail-order from the “DeLuxe Photo Service”.

• “Casey the Cop”, a one-page gag-strip written and drawn by cartoonist Henry Boltinoff.

• “Do You Want Spending Money? Sell These Popular Patriotic And Religious Mottoes”, an ad soliciting for door-to-door salespeople to peddle “beautiful glittering mottoes which the public likes so well” for “Stephens Credit Sales”.

• “Do You Need Extra Money? $35.00 Is Yours”, an ad soliciting for door-to-door salespeople to peddle boxes of Christmas cards for the “Cheerful Card Company”.

• “My Pal! Stop Being A Skinny Weakling Like I Was -- In 10 Minutes A Day You Can Do All I Did -- Gain 25 Lbs. Of Handsome Power-Packed Muscles All Over! Improve Your He-Man Looks 1000% -- Win New Strength -- Win New Popularity”, a black-and-white, inside-back-cover-ad for mail-order body-building courses from the “Jowette Institute”.

• “A New Scientific Toy! Nutty Putty”, an iconic back-cover ad for “real crazy” “wonder material” that comes in a “leakproof plastic egg”, available via mail-order from “Lucky Products”.

ODDBALL FACTOID – Decades after the publication of this issue of MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY, SHEP THE MUSICAL -- based on “The True Story Of Shep The Wonder Dog”, written by Joe W. Ozier -- was produced for the stage in 2002!

New Next Week: ODDBALL COMIC #1,259  -- MONDAY, JUNE 8, 2009 -- Here’s an ODDBALL COMIC that’s based on a Saturday morning TV cartoon show from 1969, a faithful adaptation in every possible way…except for the fact that THE COLOSSAL SHOW was never, ever broadcast! Meet Mister Colossal -- ancient Rome’s greatest talent agent -- and his staff, all brought to you by the cartoon studio behind UNDERDOG and TENNESSEE TUXEDO! You’ve never seen anything like it (unless, of course, you’ve seen Hanna-Barbera Production’s THE ROMAN HOLIDAYS!) Plus, a revealing excerpt from Mark Arnold’s upcoming book about Total TeleVision Productions that unveils the true story behind THE COLOSSAL SHOW!

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